A clinic first registers with the 시도지사 under 의료해외진출법 제6조 to attract foreign patients, then applies through the foreign patient information system for the 외국인환자 유치의료기관 평가인증, which KOIHA surveys. A 의원 is surveyed for 2 days by 2 surveyors, and the mark lasts four years.
Register first
Under 의료해외진출법 제6조 제1항, a medical institution that wants to attract foreign patients registers with the 시도지사, with at least one specialist for each department it attracts patients to and liability insurance or membership of the medical liability mutual.1 Registration also opens KOIHA's 의료기관 인증 to a 의원, under 의료법 시행령 제28조.4 Seoul held 2,555 registered institutions in 2025, 62.5% of the country's.3
What the accreditation asks
The Minister may evaluate registered institutions and certify the best of them under 의료해외진출법 제14조. Certification lasts four years, conditional certification one, and nobody may use the mark without it.1 KOIHA surveys two systems, a foreign patient system and a patient safety system, and a hospital that already holds 인증 is spared the safety part.2
| System | Standard |
|---|---|
| 외국인환자 특성화체계 | Standard 1, 외국인환자 유치운영체계 |
| 외국인환자 특성화체계 | Standard 2, 전문의 보유 및 환자진료체계 |
| 외국인환자 특성화체계 | Standard 3, 환자권리존중 및 의료분쟁 예방 |
| 환자안전체계 | Standard 4, 환자안전 보장활동 |
| 환자안전체계 | Standard 5, 환자진료 |
| 환자안전체계 | Standard 6, 의약품 관리 |
| 환자안전체계 | Standard 7, 감염관리 |
| 환자안전체계 | Standard 8, 시설 및 환경관리 |
- Register under 제6조. With the 시도지사, a specialist per department and liability cover.
- Watch for the call. 한국보건산업진흥원 (KHIDI) announces the application round on its site and the foreign patient information system.
- Apply two months ahead. Online, at least two months before the survey date you want.
- Agree the dates with KOIHA. The application is complete once the schedule is fixed.
- Host the survey. 2 surveyors for 2 days for a 의원, with interpreters for the main patient languages.
- Receive the decision. The 인증심의위원회 meets quarterly or half-yearly, and the result is published.
- Clinic ______ Registration number under 제6조 ______
- Departments and specialists ______
- Liability cover ______ Renewal ______
- Main patient languages ______ Interpreters ______
- Survey date wanted ______ Application by ______
- Standards 1 to 8 owner ______
The survey fee is 1.14 million won for a 의원 and 570,000 won for a hospital, and the mark lasts four years.2 Korea treated 2.01 million foreign patients in 2025, 87.2% of them in Seoul and 87.7% in 의원급 clinics, with dermatology alone at 62.9%.3 The KOIHA hub sets this beside the 의료법.
Questions
Can a 의원 apply for the foreign patient accreditation?
Yes. Any institution registered under 의료해외진출법 제6조 may apply. A hospital must hold KOIHA 인증 first, and is then spared the patient safety part.
Who runs the scheme?
The Ministry of Health and Welfare certifies, KHIDI runs the scheme and the 인증심의위원회, and KOIHA carries out the survey.
How long does the accreditation last?
Four years from the date it is granted, and one year for a conditional certification, which lapses if it is not renewed.
Sources
- 1국가법령정보센터, Ministry of Government Legislation, 2026의료 해외진출 및 외국인환자 유치 지원에 관한 법률 (의료해외진출법), in force 12 May 2026Read source
- 2의료기관평가인증원 (KOIHA), 2026외국인환자 유치의료기관 평가인증Read source
- 3보건복지부 (Ministry of Health and Welfare), 20262025년 외국인 환자 유치 200만 돌파, press release of 24 April 2026Read source
- 4국가법령정보센터, Ministry of Government Legislation, 2026의료법 시행령, 대통령령 제36083호, in force 10 February 2026Read source
Written by the wai team from Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation (의료기관평가인증원) guidance, checked on 16 October 2026. This is guidance, not legal advice. Neither the Ministry of Health and Welfare nor KOIHA endorses wai or any software.